1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measurement devices for measuring and improving the physical fitness of a person, and a method therefor, and more particularly, to a method, system, and software embodied in a portable measurement device having wireless positioning technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
Good health and physical fitness go hand-in-hand. Numerous exercise books and diet programs have been promoted throughout the years to assist persons desiring to improve their physical fitness. Some involve complex formulas which take into account countless variables including percent body fat or bodily dimensions such as the circumference of the waist, arms and legs. Others involve eating and exercise regimens having point systems designed to limit a person's caloric or carbohydrate intake, or balance the consumption of certain food groups. Others involve measuring fitness based on the volume of oxygen consumed while exercising at maximum capacity (sometimes referred to as VO2 max), and then creating exercise workouts that raise the heart rate to between sixty-five and eighty-five per cent of its maximum for at least 20 minutes three to five times a week. Yet others involve a mix of weight training, aerobic exercise and proper diet. Few work, and fewer still are simple to use and easy to implement without the use of elaborate equipment, tedious measurements or complex tables. There is a need for a system to improve a person's physical fitness level that works for all body types. There is a need for a method to improve the physical fitness of a person, which method is easy to use and can be implemented without the need for expensive or specialized equipment, a trip to a gymnasium, or complicated measurements. There is also a need for a standardized method of measuring the physical fitness level of a person. Similarly, there is also a need for a standardized system to measure and provide exercise workouts that allow a person to improve from one fitness level to another.
Portable, electronic navigation devices employing global positioning systems (“GPS”) receivers are well known. In addition, portable devices that include other means of determining location such as dead reckoning are also known in the art. Generally, GPS is a satellite-based radio-wave navigation system that allows a receiver device to calculate geographic location or position based upon triangulation. A plurality of satellites orbit about the Earth in extremely precise orbits. The GPS satellites relay their location down to Earth and any number of receivers. The GPS receiver devices receive spread spectrum GPS satellite signals from these various satellites. These signals are continuously transmitted from each satellite at a highly accurate frequency standard. Each satellite, as part of its signal transmission, transmits information indicative of that particular satellite. Using GPS satellite signals from at least three satellites, the receiver triangulates a two dimensional geographic location. Acquisition of an additional fourth satellite signal allows the GPS receiver device to calculate its three-dimensional position. In this manner, an electronic navigation device employing a GPS receiver accurately computes the position of the device almost instantaneously. U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,391 to Onari, et al., discloses a portable position detector that utilizes GPS technology and includes additional background on the operation of portable electronic devices incorporating GPS.
Recent advances in low power consuming electronics as well as the miniaturization of electronics have created a market for hand-held pedometers capable of determining geographic positioning. However, portable pedometers that solely rely on GPS for position information are restricted in their usefulness by buildings, tall structures and very rugged terrain that block satellite signals from reaching the receiver device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,844 to Walters, et al., discloses a portable navigation device with integrated GPS and dead reckoning capabilities. Such devices are particularly useful in metropolitan areas where tall buildings and other structures create barriers to reception of satellite signals.
In addition to GPS, the geographic position of a receiving unit may be determined using radio waves from localized sources such as cellular towers or any customized transmitting radio frequency towers deployed and combined in groups of three or more. A standard geometric triangulation algorithm can be used to determine an approximate location of the receiving unit by employing such localized radio wave sources. Finally, other methods have been integrated into portable positioning devices in order to fill in gaps when GPS or other radio wave-dependent systems temporarily fail because of a loss of signal reception. For example, some devices incorporate a variety of sensors, such as speed sensors, accelerometers, or direction sensors such as gyroscopes. Some such pedometers calculate distance by multiplying the number of steps by the length of a step. Based on the calculated distance and the direction measured with a direction sensor, the location of a walker is determined.